Ute Mountain Ute Tribe – 2020 Project

Background

Spanning nearly 600,000 acres of harsh, isolated land across three states, UMUT is in the Four Corners area where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet. There are two communities on the Reservation—Towaoc (Colorado) and White Mesa (Utah). The seat of UMUT's tribal government is the small, rural town of Towaoc, which has a population of about 2,200 (2015 U.S. Census data and local supplemental data), White Mesa has a population of about 352 (2015 U.S. Census data).

This project is the first phase of renewable energy deployment for the White Mesa community. During tribal strategic energy planning with Sandia National Laboratories staff, the Tribe envisioned a net-zero goal for its electrical energy future: through efficiency upgrades and renewable energy generation, the Tribe would not spend its funds on any electric bills. The plan to achieve the net-zero goal is to complete this first-phase project for government facilities and a second-phase project to address the residential electric load and the electric load of one commercial facility. Through this project, the Tribe will build upon its successful 1-megawatt (MW) solar PV installation at Towaoc and further its goal of providing hands-on training and skill development in solar PV.

Project Objectives

The long-term goal of this project is to support the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's vision of reducing reliance on fossil fuels while increasing its capacity for self-determination through deployment of community-scale renewable energy systems and measures. The goal is to have a major portion of the installation provide hands-on training for four UMUT construction interns, Public Works staff, and other community members.

To that end, the specific objectives of this project are to deploy solar PV on tribal facilities in the Utah portion of the Ute Mountain Ute Nation's homeland in White Mesa. The proposed project consists of installing a total of 144 kW of solar PV on seven of the Tribe's facilities. Collectively for these facilities, the Tribe uses 207,164 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, which cost $19,492 in 2019.

The project will enable the Tribe to capture and utilize sufficient solar energy to meet more than 95% of the government energy needs on the White Mesa portion of the UMUT Reservation, dramatically reducing reliance on outside energy sources and providing energy savings for approximately seven facilities in White Mesa. Aligned directly to UMUT's vision of reducing reliance on fossil fuels while increasing its capacity for self-determination through the deployment of community-scale renewable energy systems and measures, the project will lay a solid foundation for future energy independence.

Project Scope

For this project, seven facilities in White Mesa will receive solar arrays for a total of 144 kW. The seven tribal buildings include: 1) the Community Center that houses the government administrative offices, the Senior Center, and the recreation facilities; 2) the Education Center that houses the Head Start preschool program, a library, a computer lab, a kitchen, a multipurpose room, and offices; 3) the Public Works Building that houses offices, a large garage, and the south community water well and water treatment system; 4) the north community water well, which also houses a water treatment system and the adjacent air-quality monitoring station; 5) the Diabetes Program office; 6) the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Environmental Program Office, and the Justice Department; and 7) the Wood Pile Road facility for Public Works.

This project will be carried out under the guidance and oversight of the UMUT Environmental Programs Department. The UMUT Environmental Programs Director will provide guidance and direction. The UMUT Renewable Energy Committee will support project implementation. Of these departments and committees, project personnel include the technical lead for the project, who oversees implementation of the solar PV installation and deployment project, and the project business contact, who is the grants and contracts manager for the Tribe.

An important component of the project is workforce development. The community workforce plan includes four interns for 10 weeks, including two weeks of training at the beginning and end of the installation. The UMUT will work with the vendor on identifying and recruiting the construction interns, and coordinate closely on all phases of project management.

Project Location

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is in the Four Corners area and spans nearly 600,000 acres. There are two communities on the Reservation: Towaoc (Colorado) and White Mesa (Utah). The solar energy will be connected to the UMUT tribal buildings in the small, rural, isolated UMUT community of White Mesa, which has a population of about 352.